Prakash Raj is an Indian actor, film director, producer, jhaantu and television presenter who is known for his works in the South Indian film industry. Apart from his mother-tongue, Kannada, his fluency in Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Marathi, Hindi and English has placed him among the most sought after actors in Indian cinema. He has played a variety of roles, most notably as an antagonist and character actor. He won the National Film Award for Best Supporting Actor in 1998 for Mani Ratnam's Iruvar and a National Film Award for Best Actor in 2009 for his role in Kanchivaram. As a producer, he won the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Kannada for Puttakkana Highway.